Long Shadow (Veiled Intentions #2) - Elle Keaton Page 0,21
but another part was curious… and, frankly, it was better than being related to any of the Reynoldses or—a truly horrifying thought hit him—the Dempseys.
The other envelope was easy after the contents of the box. At least he knew what was inside, even if he didn’t want to deal with it. It was oversized and bulky, the return address indicating it had been sent by the City of Seattle Human Resources Department, specifically from the division handling the Seattle PD.
He shook his head; this waffling about shit was not normal for him. Niall was the man who dealt with issues and stressful situations unflinchingly, staring them in their literal (or figurative) face with his eyes wide open: death, taxes, clowns. Jesus, he really was losing his grip.
Still, he hesitated, his fingers motionless, the envelope unopened.
This was fucking ridiculous. He didn’t turn emo over envelopes; the old Niall ripped them open, dealt with the contents, and moved on. Old Niall didn’t have the time to hesitate. If he could open the box, he could open this fucking envelope.
He tore the flap open with a jagged motion and pulled the sheaf of papers out, tossing the envelope back onto the desk. He quickly scanned the pages. Retirement choices galore, COBRA insurance coverage, et cetera. The damn envelope was full of questions, and he had to pick his answers.
In the past when Niall had considered his future, which hadn’t been often, he’d always thought he would die in the line of duty. He’d never believed he might retire and have time, nearly another entire lifetime, to choose another career if he wanted. To possibly find a partner, a seductive little voice whispered. His fortieth birthday was coming up quick, and maybe he wouldn’t live another forty years, but it sure seemed a lot more likely now.
“Want to go for another walk?” Niall asked the dog.
Fenrir’s ears perked, indicating his opinion of the paperwork versus heading outside for a pee and a nice walk.
“Okay, fine. Sounds better to me too.” He tossed the paperwork back onto the desk next to the envelope it had arrived in.
He needed to think, and he did it better when he was outside.
Grabbing Fenrir’s leash again, Niall snapped it onto his collar before shrugging into his rain parka. Fenrir never minded walks, even multiple ones within the same hour. The cloud cover wasn’t heavy today; there might even be sunshine later, but in the Pacific Northwest it was always better to be prepared. At the last second, he grabbed his cell phone and car keys, stashing them in one of his coat pockets.
Outside, Niall discovered the morning was promising, the moody clouds chased away by the first hints of warmish sunshine. Fenrir tugged gently on the leash, directing them toward Hidden Harbor’s waterfront. He liked to sniff around the tiny, rocky public beach next to the ferry dock. It wasn’t as good as the beach on Niall’s property, and Fenrir was supposed to remain on his leash, but in a pinch Fenrir approved of it.
As Niall ambled down the hill behind Fenrir, a movement in his peripheral vision caught his attention. Turning, he caught sight of the striped beige camper turning onto the street in front of the high school.
He stopped in his tracks. Fenrir jerked against the leash and turned his head to give Niall a “WTF” look.
“Shit.” The RV continued on, vanishing from Niall’s line of sight.
There was nothing he could do, no way for him to follow it. His car was several blocks away in the motel parking lot. By the time he reached it, the camper would have disappeared. Again.
“Goddammit.”
Fenrir tugged again, not caring about the camper at all. Releasing a frustrated sigh, Niall allowed him to walk them to the ferry dock. Once there, Niall dug out his phone and texted Mat.
Saw RV just now heading west toward Killegens.
He pressed Send and waited impatiently for Mat’s reply.
Eight
Mat
“Uncle Mat? Pssst… Uncle Mat!”
Riley’s voice yanked Mat from a dreamless sleep.
Slowly his brain turned on. His sister and niece had arrived the evening before, while he was still at the station. Everyone had been asleep by the time he’d made it home.
“Riley, sweetie, what’s the matter? Are you okay? Is something wrong?” He tried to force the sleep fog away, rubbing his eyes, trying to get the sleep out of them. His niece waited impatiently next to his bed, not quite jumping up and down, but she was close to liftoff.